Eriksson, Fabian

Abstract [en]

This essay intends to focus on how the teachers in Sweden answers to a change in the laws regarding their right to use the strike weapon in negotiations with their employer. Before 1966 state-employed professions were not allowed to negotiate and take conflict action. In 1966 however a new law, giving the state-employed the right to negotiate with all that it entails, was passed. In the following negotiation the teacher called for strike action. My main material is the teacher union Lärararnas Riksförbunds’ own news paper Skolvärlden, which I have analysed with a qualitative text analysis. My theoretical perspective stems from how certain trade unions have worked with professional strategies in order to reach a ”professional status” for their profession. The results from my analysis show that the teachers used both professional methods as ”social closure”-techniques and the emphasis on the own professions autonomy and distinctive features, as well as more common union techniques as the strike weapon and the will to open up their union to some of the groups below.